The Library of Congress' Veterans History Project to Celebrate Veterans Day with Theatre and More

On NOVEMBER 11, 2017 (Veterans Day) Douglas Taurel, actor and creator of the acclaimed solo show The American Soldier, will perform his new play An Americans Soldier's Journey Home at the Library of Congress in Washington, DC.

The performance will be held in the Library's Coolidge Auditorium, Ground Floor, Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First Street SE, Washington, DC at 11 am. Taurel will then perform The American Soldier in the same theater at 2 pm.

Both play's are directed by Padraic Lillis who was recently named to the Indie Theater Hall of Fame and Indie Theater Person of the Year in New York.

The play is based on the life of Irving Greenwald, a soldier from WWI who was part of the Lost Battalion and whose diary is preserved by the Library's Veterans History Project and is now on display in the exhibition Echoes of the Great War: American Experiences of World War I. This will be part of the Library of Congress's commemoration of the centennial of the First World War.

Congress created the Veterans History Project in 2000 to collect, preserve and make accessible the first hand remembrances of America's war veterans from World War I through the more recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand the realities of war. After learning about Taurel's critically-acclaimed show, The American Soldier, Library staff commissioned Taurel to create an original presentation based on its collections. The play is 85% of diary of Private Irving Greenwald exact words, with Taurel taking 465 days of his diary entries and condensing them into a moving and thought-provoking 45-minute play.

Taurel explained, "As I worked on the WWI project, I decided to focus only on Irving Greenwald's diary because of all of his details of the war, and of the deep love he had for his wife. It brought me to tears at times."

"I stand with bated breath waiting for the explosion of the shell. I imagine the toll of injury and death it takes. The cost of it. The futility of it. The war will never be won on the field of battle. Why not end it all and spare men and women." - Irving Greenwald

The American Soldier has been touring across the country for the past two years. The play is based on real events and actual letters written by veterans and their family members from the American Revolution all the way through current day Afghanistan. It honors the experiences of veterans and their families, and explores the internal struggles they face when returning home from combat.

The American Soldier has been nominated for the Amnesty International Award for theatre excellence, received 4 stars internationally, been featured in The Huffington Post, The Washington Post and Time Out to name a few and was performed at The Kennedy Center during inauguration weekend.

Listings for the Veterans Day programs can be viewed at the Library of Congress.

PERFORMANCES, Saturday, Nov. 11

An American Soldier's Journey Home: The Diary of Irving Greenwald - 11 a.m.
Coolidge Auditorium, ground floor, Thomas Jefferson Building
This powerful one-man show follows the journey of soldier Irving Greenwald in World War I from training to the trenches and home again to his beloved wife and daughter. The presentation, developed by actor Douglas Taurel, draws directly from Greenwald's diary, held in the collections of the Veterans History Project and currently on display in the exhibition "Echoes of the Great War: American Experiences of World War I" at the Library of Congress. Tickets are available for this free event, but not required. Tickets are available on a first-come, first served basis. Visit this event-ticketing site, DiaryOfGreenwald.

Eventbrite.com,for more information and to secure your ticket. Entry is not guaranteed.

The American Soldier - 2 p.m.
Coolidge Auditorium, ground floor, Thomas Jefferson Building
"The American Soldier" is a one-man dramatic production that reveals the struggles American soldiers face at war and explores the bravery and the difficulties our veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and their families face when they try to re-enter civilian life. The show is based on letters from soldiers from the American Revolution through current conflicts.. Tickets are available for this free event, but not required. Tickets are available on a first-come, first served basis. Visit this event ticketing site, AmericanSoldier.

Eventbrite.com, for more information and to secure your ticket. Entry is not guaranteed.

For more information, visit loc.gov/vets/ or call the toll-free message line at (888) 371-5848. Subscribe to the VHP RSS to receive periodic updates of VHP news. Follow VHP on Facebook @vetshistoryproject.

The Library of Congress is the world's largest library, offering access to the creative record of the United States-and extensive materials from around the world-both on-site and online. It is the main research arm of the U.S. Congress and the home of the U.S. Copyright Office. Explore collections, reference services and other programs and plan a visit at loc.gov; access the official site for U.S. federal legislative information at congress.gov; and register creative works of authorship at copyright.gov.

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